In some cases, microwave cooking may be faster than convection or other types of cooking Thus, microwave cooking may be employed to speed up the cooking process. Moreover, microwave ovens tend to be fairly compact and popular household appliances. Although microwave ovens have remained popular for many years, they are known to have certain limitations when it comes to cooking In this regard, a microwave oven may not be ideal for cooking of certain types of foods (depending on geometry and density). In particular, microwave ovens may not be able to effectively brown foods and may have uneven cooking in various locations therein.
Given that browning may add certain desirable characteristics in relation to taste and appearance, it may be necessary to employ another cooking method in addition to microwave cooking in order to achieve browning. Other accessories can sometimes be provided to enhance the browning capabilities of microwave ovens. Meanwhile, the other limitation of microwave ovens, regarding the uneven cooking experienced therein, generally relates to the fact that different rates of energy absorption may be experienced in different parts of the food being cooked. Typical methods for curing this deficiency include the provision of a stirrer or a turntable.
A stirrer may be a type of fan, or other device, that can reflect microwave energy while the stirrer turns. The reflection, coupled with the turning of the stirrer, is aimed at providing a more even power distribution in the oven cavity. However, the use of mechanical stirring and magnetrons in conventional microwave ovens generally means lower life times than could be provided with other components.